A range of quality own‑brand and high street restaurants and cafés, mixed with great food, family-friendly menus, and a generous sprinkling of excellent service. That’s the recipe for success in our Food and Beverage department. Around each village, the Food and Beverage department employs around 350 team members across nine different restaurants, cafés, and bars, as well as a production kitchen. There’s also a further five concessionary units including well-known brands such as Bella Italia and Café Rouge. From American grills to authentic Indian cuisine, or for those wanting a relaxing drink after a busy day, there’s something to suit all appetites at Center Parcs.
KITCHEN MANAGER / HEAD CHEF | £16.23 per hour
All colleagues working in the following restaurants: Rajinda Pradesh, Huck's American Bar and Grill, The Pancake House, Sports Café, The Lakeside Inn, Foresters' Inn and Vitalé Café Bar will benefit from the discretionary service charge we add to bills.
We are now looking to appoint a Kitchen Manager / Head Chef to lead a team dedicated to providing a first-class service and excellent food quality to our guests.
Responsibilities
* Effectively control, coordinate and plan the activities of your kitchen to outlined standards of procedure.
* Maintain high guest satisfaction levels through culinary leadership ensuring quality of service, quality of food & drink, value for money and that budgeted financial targets -including cost of sales are met and exceeded.
* Be responsible for the daily management of your kitchen and your team ensuring cleanliness and hygiene standards are achieved as per Company and legal requirements.
* Report directly to the Restaurant Manager and work together to ensure the continued growth and success of the business.
* You will support with facilitating and developing a culture that promotes and encourages the general wellbeing, motivation, and morale of your team, whilst ensuring effective performance management strategies are in place and your team are actively contributing towards this.
Hours of Work
Working straight shifts, you will be contracted to work 150 hours per 4‑week period on a flexible basis. Your shifts will fall between 8:00am and 11:00pm and will include weekends. As our village is open 365 days of the year, your working hours will include public / bank holidays and during Christmas and / or New Year on a rota basis.
Experience, Skills & Qualifications
Essential requirements:
* Ability to lead a team in a busy kitchen environment
* Strong financial awareness – stocktaking / working schedules / wastage analysis and controls
* Previous experience in a large organisation with full management responsibility for the kitchen team
* Experience in training and developing a kitchen team
* Have a motivational approach towards colleagues and work
* Empathetic and supportive approach to leading a team
* Able to coach individuals to be accountable for their own performance
Desirable requirements:
* Experience of back of house systems for stock management and ordering
Benefits
* Management Bonus Scheme
* Pension Scheme with Life Assurance
* Colleague Recognition and Reward Scheme – offering a choice of Center Parcs and High Street vouchers
* Free use of our leisure facilities
* Discounted Center Parcs breaks
* 20% discount in our restaurant and retail outlets
* Access to Perks at Work Portal - offering a wide range of retail and leisure discounts
* An Employee Assistance Program - providing support on financial, health and legal matters
* Excellent opportunities for career development and progression with the opportunity to gain externally recognised qualifications
Closing date
12th November 2025
Interviews to be held
Ongoing
Please note this vacancy may close at any time once sufficient applications have been received. Early submission of your application is therefore encouraged.
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At Center Parcs, everyone's welcome.
We recognise that we're all at our best when we're being ourselves. We are committed to building a culture that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion, where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want them to feel valued for their individuality, thrive in our business and share a sense of belonging. We place a lot of value on recruiting based on behaviours rather than prioritising qualifications or experience.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, please let us know if you require any support or reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process.
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